2017 was a mixed grill for players in the creative sector. In this report, they recount their experiences as they look forward to a more thriving 2018, writes EVELYN OSAGIE.
The curtain may have fallen on 2017, but its memories linger in the minds of industry players in the creative sector.
Diverse creative events marked the year, with many of its players breaking new grounds. Still, not all would call the year pleasant.
In this piece, scholars, gallery and theatre owners, artists, poets, novelists and playwrights recount their experiences in 2017 and projections for the New Year. They include literary and Arabic scholar and novelist Prof Kole Omotoso; veteran artist, Chief Muraina Oyelami; artist and professor of Art Historian Peju Layiwola and Prof Ahmed Yerima; artist/owner of GreenHouse Art Empowerment Centre in Olambe, Ogun State, Princess Theresa Iyase-Odozi. Others are artist and the current director of the Harmattan Workshop, Sam Ovraiti; founder and Executive Producer of the Thespian Family Theatre & Productions, Ayo Jaiyesimi; oil and gas lawyer and poet, Ms Donna Ogunnaike; artist and founder of LENS Talk Academy, Yemi Royal, and novelist Obinna Udenwe.
To survive 2017, I did everything I said I’d never do – Prof Omotoso
2017, like years before, was harsh in the way simple things are harsh mainly because of unpunished corruption, unpaid employ-ment and reality and pomposity of trailers on our bad roads. It is against this background that I continue The Travels of Trouble in the Sunday Guardian and trying to write a novel The Book of Change.
To survive, I have done everything I said I would never do: buy generators, sink borehole, rent security, be a one household local government. Projection for this year is more of the same recurrent cycle/circle of Nigerian stupidity. Answers to living problems are not available to Nigerian powers that be. And don’t even mention prayers. Personally I want to finish this novel, that’s all I pray for.
2017 was an eventful year – Chief Oyelami
The year was eventful. A travelling Exhibition of 50 Years of Osogbo Art sponsored by Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU) was mounted in Osogbo, Abuja and Wilmington Delaware in the United States. Also, it afforded me the opportunity of participating in international shows like the last Lagos Art X that featured some of my recent works.
As an active practitioner who has been working for over 50 years, God has continued to give me the needed creative energy to love and continue my practice with harmony and peace. My big dream of having a visual and performing arts institute in Iragbiji, where young and potentially talented artists would be trained, is now becoming a reality. The Abeni Institute of Visual and Performing Arts would soon take off, where Aso-Oke weaving, batiks, drumming and drum-making will feature in our programmes. We hope to take-off during the first quarter of the year, God willing.
It was a milestone for me – Prof Layiwola
2017 was a great year for me. It was, indeed, very fulfilling. It was a milestone for me as I attained the zenith of my profession in the visual arts. This elevation fulfils a lot for me and the profession. It provided me with the opportunity of having several international conversations about art. In terms of the Women and Youth Art Foundation, it was a time for taking stock both at the personal level and also at the level of community engagement. We celebrated art within the community as we marked 13 years of our commitment to using the visual arts as a transformative agent in disadvantaged communities. We also raised a formidable team of volunteers who helped continue our project in taking art back to public schools in Lagos State. 2018 promises to be a more fulfilling year. I hope to consolidate on the work done in previous years. New projects will be unveiled this year and I am hopeful for the possibilities that it presents.
2017 was a good year for me as a playwright – Prof Yerima
2017 was a good year for me as a playwright. I wrote four plays – Iyase, Pari, Odenigbo and Drugga. These plays reflected the kind of literature my immediate-society demanded from me. Society itself provided the materials because of its organic nature. For thematic relevance and connect I felt fulfilled as a playwright. As I advance in age, and the volatile nature of the security of my country, I was more calculated in terms of fund expenditure, personal desires and needs and self preservation, I was generally careful about budget planning and what my movement capabilities were. The social condition in a near dysfunctional society as 2017 was, demanded caution from the individual. 2018 seems to be a good year. More issues of society will serve as materials for the concerned writers. Hopefully production opportunities for the literary works we create will come. Again I pray for the Muse of creative to flow. I have finished my first 2018 play, Hendu which is based on the Fulani herdsmen crises. The Nigerian writers must learn to build coalition with society that needs such works. The works must first, project the anxiety of their immediate society. And second, the angst and expectations of society must be projected. Most of all, I hope 2018 will provide avenues for funding, because no writer writes well on an empty stomach. Good luck all. I wish us all a happy new creative and productive 2018.
Development of the Berger-Ojodu-Olambe-Ijoko roads will improve art patronage – Princess Iyase-Odozi
With respect to GreenHouse Art Empowerment Centre, Olambe in Ogun State, the gallery was on the quiet side for several reasons, which include the following: dearth of qualified art-oriented staff; the poor state of our roads and ensuing traffic congestion, particularly during the rainy season. This led to mass relocation of many residents who work in Lagos and, consequently, reduced patronage of our activities; the lack of external support, both financial and material, for our programmes, thereby limiting their coverage and frequency. Although our centre operated at a low tempo for most of the year, we kept it open to the public.
Also, towards the end of the year, we had a public lecture based on the Grail Message and hosted many guests. We were able to survive by right-sizing the staff complement and embarking on various cost-saving initiatives, particularly power consumption.
But an artist art comes to me as the air I breathe in and has become my life and world. I live art, think art and do art. I have no other choice than to do art either through a direct transfer of my ideas on to a surface or through empowering fellow human beings by giving and training. Given the numerous competing engagements that I have to contend with and the limited activities at my disposal, I had to reprioritise and strive to achieve more with less. As an art researcher and practitioner, I periodically carry out a thorough survey of things that need be done and conceptualise and translate my ideas into reality. Such conceptualisation and execution sometimes takes months and even years to accomplish. After my 2015 exhibition entitled: Spiritual Contemplations. I decided to take the next step – in 2017, I embarked on a fundamental shift towards exploring new ways in the world of tie & dye and began preliminary work for a new exhibition under the mentorship of Madam Nike Okundaye of Nike Arts Gallery. Over the years, my art had been eclectic in style, encompassing historical, mundane, abstract and spiritual dimensions of art.
We are full of hope and expectations for our country, our local community and, of course, our organisation in 2018! Our optimism is founded on ongoing massive infrastructural development activity both at the federal and state levels. Indeed, we can see infrastructural transformation of the Berger-Ojodu-Olambe-Ijoko roads, which definitely will improve the inflow of visitors and the patronage to the gallery. In short, the tempo of activities in our gallery will depend largely on the progress made in completing this massive road construction project.
Meanwhile, we plan to organise some empowerment programmes, including soap and cream productions, and particularly textile production and tie & dye. As an artist I am also full of hope and expectations but also a lot of hard work in 2018! My major tasks are to successfully complete my academic research studies at the University of Lagos and concurrently stage an exhibition, based on my research on tie & dye, with Madam Nike Okundaye at the Nike Centre for Arts and Culture.
2017 was for me a year multiple awards – Ovraiti
2016 and 2017 were eventful for me as these years saw multiple awards conferred on me by various institutions in recognition on the work I have done in the area of training young and upcoming artists and my contributions in the professional art scene.
Apart from seizing every opportunity I had to educate artists on the need to let their art be the focus of their attention, I also made sure I got involved in a number of art projects both public and private, in addition to such significant exhibitions that kept my brand above waters. This new year, together with what I call the usual such as art workshops, exhibitions and expanding on my neighbor creativity, what will be on my front burner will be to begin to build my school of professional art practice which is geared at providing the needed resources for artists, both young and old when want to achieve extraordinary success in the area of their professional art practice.
2017 was a mixed bag – Jaiyesimi
2017 was a mixed bag. It was exciting because we broke new grounds and had very well-received productions. However, it was also a year that most companies cut their sponsorship budgets. On strategies adopted: we have some very dependable corporate and individual sponsors who support our aspiration to educate, engage and entertain. We diversified our entertainment services and products and also cut down on production costs by developing in-house capacities in some areas and outsourced some elements, while engaging on a number of collaborations which helped in responsibility, cost and risk sharing. This new year promises to be exciting. We celebrate our 15 years of existence and that is a key milestone. We have assets that have been created, which we would showcase this year; we are working on our second television programme and open our space – The Thespian Könà. Looking ahead, 2018 should be exciting!
2017 was a year of growth, boldness for me – Donna
2017 was an interesting year for me as I was able to implement a crazy idea I had which was to create an experiential experimental art installation during the Lagos Theatre Festival hosted by the British Council. It was a diary which experimented with healing minds through nostalgia using poetry, music, contemporary dance and film. I was afraid it would be treated with scepticism by the audience but it was well received with many positive reviews locally and internationally. We were then selected to present the event at the World Cultures Festival in Hong Kong and were the only Nigerian representative. I was also able to put up a show in Abuja and performed poetry at very many events in Lagos including the Afro Champions Initiatives dinner where President Mbeki, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, and his predecessor Governor Adams Oshiomole and many top executives across all of Africa were present. I did this alongside a hectic work schedule as an Oil and Gas Lawyer and Partner in the Law Firm of ACAS-LAW. I believe 2017 was a year of growth and boldness for me as an artist in both poetry and theatre. It was a hectic but very special year. I learnt how to breathe. I would find quiet places and just let my heart be calm. I also learned very heavily on Mrs. Bianca Odiete, who co-managed both the administrative and logistical aspects of all the events in 2017. A solid support system is necessary and I would not have done it without her and a few others who helped with the heavy lifting. I also sought counselling and would pour out my fears to my parents, Prince and Rev. Mrs. Ogunnaike, my friends (especially Ms. Abiola Adekoya), my partners and colleagues in the firm and Ms. Brenda Uphopho who would not let me give up on the project. No one should have to do it alone, delegation, talking and finding calm in the midst of chaos goes a long way. The experiential and experimental event, Strelitzia, has been curated by the British Council for the 2018 Lagos Theare Festival coming up at the end of February. It is an honour for me that this happened and we are going to be serving people through art. Apart from this I will be executing other projects in the arts, God helping me, so watch out for Donna Ogunnaike; this journey still has a long way to go!
It was a busy year – Royal
2017 was very busy for me. I was busy with trainings, busy traveling and busy developing new sets of skills and ideas. For my art, it’s been very tasking. I have been busy sketching and preparing for my next exhibition coming up hopefully in 2018. My strategies are simple. I called it the 3Ps which stand for Passion Persistence and Perseverance. Passion keeps me going, due to the undying love I have for my job. Persistence keeps me afloat and retains my relevance in the industry; while Perseverance gives me the assurance that i will get result in due cause. 2018 is going to be what I call the ‘art year’. A year dominated by photography activities and events. More artist/photographers will be discovered.
It was big year for me – Udenwe
2017 was big for me. In January, I took a big decision to overhaul my novel in-progress, which I had been working on for going on seven years. I deleted over 180 pages of the manuscript and started afresh, basically. I changed the story in its entirety and I was delighted I made the decision. It has been provisionally accepted for publishing and I hope that happens this year.
Last year, I also decided to cut down on the number of short stories I write in a month but to write strong, energetic and poignant stories – even if it’s two or three for the year. And I did accomplish that. So, in all, I would say that I improved the quality of my art in 2017 by making tough decisions and taking bold steps. Only a few artists in Nigeria survive through their craft alone. To survive we engage in other activities but the art also contribute lot. Towards the end of 2017, I submitted stories to different journals of International repute and I look forward to seeing those works published in 2018. I also look forward to seeing them get deserved recognition. I hope to see my novel published this year.
